Undergraduate courses

Graduate students and postdocs in HPS are encouraged to benefit from any undergraduate (Part IB and Part II) courses that they consider useful. They can provide systematic introductions to subject areas that are new to you, and point to research topics and reading materials even in areas you are reasonably familiar with.

Early science and medicine work-in-progress reading group

This is a termly forum for early career scholars to discuss their work-in-progress. We usually discuss two pieces of work at each session. If you would like to participate, please email Boyd Brogan (bb320).

Jobseekers' coffee

Friday 10 November, Friday 1 December, 2–3pm, HPS Lodge Coffee Room

PhD students, postdocs and early career scholars in HPS and Philosophy are invited to attend jobseekers' coffee. This group offers informal support and advice for those who are applying for academic jobs of various kinds. We discuss the uses of Careers Services, how to draft a cover letter, who to ask for references, how to pick jobs to apply for, and many more.

Feel free to bring drafts of application materials if you need advice on them. Additional meetings can be scheduled if there is demand.

Supervisors' coffee mornings

TBD

Once your formal supervisor training is over, who do you turn to for continued support? Your fellow supervisors, of course! The College Liaison Officer can also be very helpful when disciplinary matters arise. Come and chat over coffee to other Department supervisors about how it's going, share the pleasures of good supervisions and seek advice over trickier issues.

Language help

The Greek Therapy and Latin Therapy groups each offer informal weekly sessions, led by an expert tutor, to help you improve your reading skills in these languages. If English is not your first language and you find yourself struggling to read, write and communicate effectively in an academic environment, come and talk to the Graduate Training Officer and/or explore the resources at the University's Language Centre.

Externally provided courses and resources

All graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to attend relevant training courses offered by other bodies, most of which are free to members of the University. There's now a central University of Cambridge Training website where you can sign up for any course. Here are some particularly noteworthy:

The University's Skills Portal also lists a lot of useful courses and resources for graduate students and research staff.

Travel and training grants

The Department offers small grants towards travel costs to conferences for those giving papers at conferences (not for attendance only), and towards any particular training need that is not catered for otherwise.